Department for Education

Education Funding Agency: Birmingham

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Education Funding Agency did not consult all relevant partners when purchasing Spitfire House in Castle Vale, Birmingham.

Lord Nash: Consultation with any partners or tenants is a matter for the vendor of the building rather than the Education Funding Agency as purchasers.

Education Funding Agency: Birmingham

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the Education Funding Agency became involved in purchasing Spitfire House in Castle Vale, Birmingham; what price they paid for the building; and who received the purchase monies.

Lord Nash: The Education Funding Agency first visited the property and began negotiations on 8 July 2015. The purchase price was £1,500,000 (exclusive of VAT).The vendor, Birmingham Metropolitan College, received the purchase monies.

Education Funding Agency: Birmingham

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Department is responsible for ensuring that the project regarding the change of ownership and function of Spitfire House in Castle Vale, Birmingham, complies with financial rules under the European Regional Development Fund.

Lord Nash: The Education Funding Agency (EFA) was not party to the original funding agreement with the European Regional Development Fund and therefore ensuring relevant consultation and compliance is a matter for the vendor rather than the purchaser. EFA legal team confirmed that the title contained no caution or charge in respect of the European Regional Development Fund.

Education Funding Agency: Birmingham

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions took place, and with which organisations, about the proposal to lift the restrictive covenants regarding community access in respect of Spitfire House in Castle Vale, Birmingham.

Lord Nash: The property was purchased subject to restrictions on title relating to community access. No restrictive covenants regarding community access have been removed or amended and therefore no consultation was necessary.

Education Funding Agency: Birmingham

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what safeguarding arrangements are in place for the free school that will operate in part of Spitfire House in Castle Vale, Birmingham.

Lord Nash: All schools have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn. Ofsted has completed a pre-registration inspection at this school and advised that this school is likely to meet all the independent school standards when it opens, including those relating to the welfare, health and safety of its pupils.   The Trust is preparing a management plan so that the school will be able to operate independently from the other occupants in the premises.   The September 2015 pupil intake will be located on the second floor which is not co-habited by others.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Buildings

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Faulks on 16 July (HLWS108), how many of the courts closed since 2010 remain to be disposed of, and what is the monthly cost of each such court building.

Lord Faulks: The Department is committed to disposing of surplus property assets expeditiously and reducing holding costs. As of 4 September 2015 a total of 80 courts closed under the Court Estate Reform Programme have been sold attracting disposal receipts of £49.18m. The total cumulative gross benefits expected from the 2010 Court Estate Reform Programme are £152m, consisting of resource savings from court closures of £98m and gross capital proceeds of £54m from the sale of buildings. The disposal of surplus property assets is dependent on a number of factors, such as the market, potential future use, location and the fact that some are occupied in part by the police and local authorities which also make disposal difficult. There are 13 closed court buildings closed since May 2010 that are currently not in use, the majority of which were closed under the Court Estate Reform Programme. Five of the closed court buildings which have not been disposed of are either under offer or on the market. Of those which have not yet been brought to the market, four court buildings have shared locations with the police which means the future of the building is tied in with the Police Station, one has a flying freehold issue and the other three were closed recently. We are working on bringing all of them to the market as soon as possible.There are temporary costs associated with making sure unused buildings are kept secure, protecting the fabric of the building and property rates payable to local councils. In addition, decommissioning the buildings to make them ready for sale results in some costs which cannot be disaggregated from the overall running costs. However, these are significantly lower than the costs of running the courts when open, which will have included estates costs, staffing costs and the cost of the judiciary. On average the estates running costs alone for these courts are now more than £4,000 lower per month, almost £50,000 less a year, than when the courts were open. That does not include the further substantial savings from staffing and judiciary costs.   Table: Monthly cost of each court building which has been closed since May 2010 but not yet disposed of as at 4 September 2015 Court buildingAverage monthly cost1, 5Alton Magistrates’ Court2£9,828Bracknell Magistrates’ Court£5,319Cirencester Magistrates’ Court£1,472Coleford Magistrates’ Court£1,561Keighley Magistrates’ Court (sitting at Bingley)£2,011Knutsford Crown Court2£9,274Liverpool Magistrates’ Court4Not availableLyndhurst Magistrates’ Court£1,783Oswestry Magistrates’ Court / County Court£2,269Pontefract Magistrates’ Court£1,957Spalding Magistrates’ Court2£3,909Totnes Magistrates’ Court3£790Towcester Magistrates’ Court3£445 Footnotes:1. Monthly cost based on financial year data 2014/15 (unless otherwise stated). Holding costs include rates, fuel and utilities, facilities management, telephony and other property costs.2. These courts closed in financial year 2014/15 and the stated average monthly cost is therefore based on the last three months of 2014/15. The stated costs for these 3 courts are abnormally high because maintenance costs are likely to include decommissioning costs which are incurred shortly after closure. It is not possible to strip out any decommissioning costs from this answer without incurring disproportionate costs.3. Monthly cost based on financial year data 2013/14 and 2014/15 in order to address accounting adjustments made in 2014/15.4. Liverpool (Dale Street) Magistrates' Court was integrated into the QEII Law Courts as of 30 June, creating a single centre for crime in the city of Liverpool.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

BBC: Royal Charters

Baroness Grender: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how often the members of the BBC Charter renewal advisory panel will meet (1) each other and (2) the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: (1) As set out in the Advisory Group’s terms of reference the Group will meet approximately six times a year at times agreed in advance by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport’s office[1]. (2) These meetings will be chaired by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. [1] Can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445912/TERMS_OF_REFERENCE.pdf)

BBC

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee report of February 2015, Future of the BBC, that (1) the BBC’s independence could be compromised by negotiations with government that lack transparency and public consultation; (2) licence fee payers must be consulted and Parliament should have an opportunity to debate any significant changes to funding responsibilities; and (3) that it was wholly wrong that the 2010 licence fee settlement was not subject to any public or parliamentary consultation.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The BBC Charter Review Consultation, published on 16 July 2015, drew heavily on the evidence heard by, and the report from, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s report on the Future of the BBC. The Charter Review provides an opportunity for a wide-ranging national debate about the BBC, and will inform the Government’s proposals for the future of the BBC, including its funding.

BBC: Royal Charters

Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the terms of reference of the BBC Charter renewal advisory panel.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The BBC Charter Review Advisory Group’s terms of reference are:Membership of the Group is voluntary and by invitation from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who will Chair the meetings.Members will possess a range of skills, experience and expertise that enables them to contribute independently and in different ways to the oversight of the Government’s Review of the BBC Royal Charter.Members are appointed on the basis of their personal experience not as representatives of their respective organisations.  Further details on the BBC Charter Review Advisory Group can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445912/TERMS_OF_REFERENCE.pdf.

BBC: Royal Charters

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the BBC Charter renewal advisory panel will take evidence during the course of its work; and if so, whether that evidence will be taken in public.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In its consideration of policy and process issues for the Charter Review, it is envisaged that the Advisory Group will consider a range of sources of evidence – including, but not limited to, responses to the Government’s consultation, and publicly available sources of evidence such as the BBC’s strategy documents. There are no current plans for evidence, written or oral, to be taken in public by the Advisory Group.

BBC: Royal Charters

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish the views and advice they receive from the members of the BBC Charter renewal advisory panel.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There are currently no such plans. The Group may make recommendations about policy and process, but ultimate responsibility for decisions remains with Department for Culture, Media and Sport Ministers.

BBC: Royal Charters

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the BBC Charter renewal advisory panel has the power to compel evidence from the people and institutions from whom they wish to hear.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In its consideration of policy and process issues for the Charter Review, it is envisaged that the Advisory Group will consider a range of sources of evidence – including, but not limited to, responses to the Government’s consultation, and publicly available sources of evidence such as the BBC’s strategy documents. There are no current plans for evidence, written or oral, to be taken in public by the Advisory Group.

Battle of Jutland

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Jutland in 2016.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: A national commemorative event will be held on 31 May 2016 to mark the Battle of Jutland and the wider war at sea. Further details will be announced later this year.

Department for Work and Pensions

Government Departments: Marketing

Lord Strasburger: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times this year the Department for Work and Pensions has published invented quotes and stock images purporting to be from and of real benefits claimants; and to what extent other government departments engage in similar practices.

Lord Freud: This information is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Carers

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of carers who will be affected by the reduction of the benefit cap to (1) £20,000 per year outside London, and (2) £23,000 per year in London.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost of exempting all those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance from the benefit cap when it is reduced.

Lord Freud: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. A copy of the impact assessment is attached.



Benefit Cap Impact Assessment
(PDF Document, 299.93 KB)

Universal Credit: Disqualification

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the sanctions regime for Universal Credit complies with the recommendations of the UK Statistics Authority.

Lord Freud: DWP statisticians are considering all of the points raised by UK Statistics Authority about the publication of sanctions statistics and what additional information and commentary is appropriate to explain this complex area, including the future release of Universal Credit sanctions statistics.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children there were in families subject to benefit sanctions during the most recent period for which figures are available; and whether that number is rising, falling, or static.

Lord Freud: The information as requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have responded to the report Time to Rethink Benefit Sanctions published in March by five British churches; if so, what is their assessment of that report; and if not, whether they intend to respond, and when.

Lord Freud: The Department has not responded to this report. However we are currently considering the contents of the Work and Pensions Select Committee report and will be providing a government response shortly.

British Nationals Abroad: Germany

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimates they have made, if any, either from United Kingdom sources or from access to German statistics, of the number of United Kingdom citizens (1) resident in Germany, (2) working in Germany, and (3) claiming social benefits in Germany.

Lord Freud: According to the German National Statistics Agency there were 103,756 UK nationals resident in Germany as of 31 December 2014. According to the German Federal Employment Agency, in 2014, there were 33,536 UK nationals in regular employment in Germany and paying national insurance contributions. Statistics on the number of UK nationals claiming social benefits in Germany are not held.

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Work and Pensions has target times by which members of the public can reasonably expect to get through on the telephone and speak to an official; by what percentage extent there has been a change over the past three years in the number of telephone calls from the public seeking information or assistance from the Department for Work and Pensions; and what training in communication skills is provided for the officials in that Department.

Lord Freud: The current targets across DWP for answering telephone calls from the public are: · Working Age Benefits - 2 minutes (with the exception of Universal Credit which is 1 minute 30 seconds).· State Pension, State Pension Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance - 1 minute 30 seconds.· Child Maintenance Group - 1 minute. We are unable to provide information relating to the request for a percentage change over the past three years in the number of telephone calls from the public, as prior to April 2013, reporting was produced through the telephony platform itself. As the platform has a 14 rolling month data retention policy, and no robust archive of data was maintained at this time, robust data is not available for this period. All staff working in the Department for Work and Pensions who are new to delivering phone services receive job specific training which includes communication skills. New members of staff also have the opportunity to observe experienced staff allowing them to pick up a range of communication skills from experienced Agents.

Home Office

Heathrow Airport

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the report of the Independent Monitoring Board on the non-residential short-term holding facilities at London Heathrow Airport for the period February 2014 to January 2015.

Lord Bates: The Minister of State for Immigration, James Brokenshire, wrote to the Chairman of the Heathrow Airport Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) on 23 June 2015 and outlined the Home Office’s response to the main points made in the IMB’s annual report.The Home Office has drafted an action plan which considers each individual recommendation made in the report. Home Office officials met the Heathrow Airport IMB Chairman on 28 July 2015 to discuss this action plan and the work being undertaken by Detention Operations, Border Force and the escort provider to implement the report’s recommendations. These meetings will continue to take place on a quarterly basis.

Slavery

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 20 July (HL1460), whether the guidance for competent authorities will be revised to include indicators of slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour, in accordance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as distinct from cases of human trafficking for these forms of exploitation; and if so, when that guidance will be produced.

Lord Bates: Updated guidance for competent authorities was published on 31 July 2015 to reflect the extension of the National Referral Mechanism to identify and support all victims of modern slavery in England and Wales. This guidance now includes information on the definitions and nature of all forms of modern slavery. On the same day, similar updates were also published to the guidance for frontline workers on identifying victims of modern slavery.

Human Trafficking

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in (1) 2013–14 and (2) 2014–15 how many potential victims of trafficking referred to the National Referral Mechanism and accommodated by the National Asylum Support Service received specialist trafficking outreach support under the Victim Care Contract during the 45-day reflection and recovery periods.

Lord Bates: The number of potential victims of human trafficking who received outreach support under the Victim Care Contract whilst accommodated through the Home Office asylum contracts accommodation were as follows:01/07/2013 - 30/06/2014 - 202 (Male - 20; Female - 182)01/07/2014 - 30/06/2015 - 246 (Male - 33: Female - 213)

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Nuclear Power Stations: Insurance

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there is sufficient capacity in the nuclear insurance market for third-party liabilities for operators of planned nuclear power stations.

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there is sufficient capacity in the nuclear insurance market to cover the expected level of investment in Hinkley Point B.

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the competitiveness of the insurance market for nuclear property damage and nuclear liability, and (2) whether it provides the capacity needed by nuclear operators, notwithstanding the presence and nature of nuclear insurance pools, including the United Kingdom nuclear insurance pool, and any potential they may have to restrict and distort the provision of such insurance to nuclear operators.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Government is in regular contact with the insurance market to discuss the provision of insurance for nuclear operators; this includes both general insurance and third party liabilities. At present there is predicted to be sufficient capacity in the market for planned nuclear power stations, including Hinkley Point C, although the availability of such insurance will always depend on the circumstances at the time. Government will continue to monitor the insurance market for capacity in this area and to encourage insurers to enter the nuclear insurance market.The Government fully recognises the importance of promoting competition in insurance markets so that customers can get the best price possible. The Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority between them ensure effective competition, and make sure markets work well for consumers, business and the economy.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that remaining pre-accreditation from the feed-in tariff scheme will have on the United Kingdom’s ability to meet its climate change targets.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Even with the removal of pre-accreditation we are currently on track to deliver at least 30% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2020. In 2014, renewables’ share of electricity generation was 19.1% on an unadjusted basis.The UK is also continuing to make progress towards the 2020 renewables target of 15% of final energy consumption from renewable sources. We are on track to meet the next interim target, which is an average of final energy consumption over 2013/14. The provisional figure, released on 25 June, showed 6.3% of final energy consumption for 2013/14 came from renewable sources, against a target level of 5.4%.In order to meet the 2050 target (80% reduction on 1990 level) we know we will need significant cuts in emissions across all parts of the economy by 2050. We will need a balanced mix of low carbon technologies, including nuclear, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and renewables, to help tackle the threat of climate change while keeping the lights on and ensuring the best value for consumers.

Sellafield

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has sufficient human resources of the necessary calibre and expertise to ensure that construction work at Sellafield is being effectively managed and supervised; whether that work is on course to meet all the necessary deadlines; and what progress has been made with that work.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for ensuring that it and its delivery partners (the Site Licence Companies) have the right skills and capability to deliver its mission. The Department monitors closely the work of the NDA – a specialist contracting authority - and its contractors, which manage and operate the sites on its behalf.The current NDA team bring decades of technical and commercial experience to the oversight of these major contracts and the Department is assured that the NDA has the necessary resource and expertise to oversee work at Sellafield and its other sites.In light of the decision, announced by the Secretary of State in January 2015, to change the ownership model for Sellafield, bringing the Sellafield Ltd Site Licence Company under the direct ownership of the NDA as a wholly owned subsidiary with effect from April 2016, the NDA is re-assessing its future resource requirements. The model change has prioritised accessing world class capabilities to all levels of the site.Performance at Sellafield has been improving steadily since the NDA took ownership in 2005, prior to which there was little investment in the legacy infrastructure and no progress with decommissioning. Sellafield Ltd has on average met 86% of its milestones in recent years and is making good progress against its work plan for 2015/16.The NDA publishes reports on its website on progress on priority programmes and projects. The latest version of the document can be viewed at:http://www.nda.gov.uk/publication/programmes-and-major-projects-report-pilot-3/An update is scheduled for later this Autumn.